||||“Gray hair is a crown of splendor; it is achieved by righteous living" (Proverbs), yet today's elderly are often considered a burden by younger generations. It is by embracing this negative mentality that discrimination arises. Ageism, as defined by the Oxford dictionary, is “prejudice or discrimination based on age” and is generally considered discrimination against the elderly rather than children in society. This differs from other forms of discrimination such as racism or sexism, because aging is an inevitable part of life and therefore everyone will be discriminated against over time. In today's society, old age is commonly feared and often avoided altogether. . Dying gray hair and procedures such as Botox injections or face lifts are becoming increasingly common methods in which people attempt to disguise their growing age from their peers. (Sachs) The media is one of the main reasons why people do not accept their old age, because it has a great influence on how people see each other by creating public opinion. The media portrays older people negatively, implying that they are childish, senile and, essentially, useless. (Asiedu) Consequently, this negative portrayal of the elderly has led to a larger issue: mandatory retirement. Recently, the law requiring mandatory retirement at age 65 has been largely discarded; previously it was a rather controversial issue. The law generalized all citizens over 65 as unfit for work, proving to be discriminatory because this was not necessarily true. While some bodies and minds may deteriorate, at age 65, not all older adults are incapable of contributing to the workforce. Forcing retirement is an example of ageism, being... the center of the paper... Has the media painted a dark picture of life after sixty? - Radio Prague." Main page - Radio Prague. 26 September 2005. Web. 30 October 2011. .BBC News. "BBC NEWS | Business | Q&A: Retirement ruling." BBC News - Home. Web. 30 October 2011. .Silver Century Foundation. "Think About Aging." Silver Century Foundation. 30 April 2008. Web. 30 October 2011. .Trio, E. "Racism and discrimination: human nature or learned behavior | TheFreeResource.com." The Free Resource: Educational resources, verifiable facts, and research. Web. Oct. 30. 2011. .

Topic > ||||“Gray hair is a crown of splendor; it is achieved by righteous living" (Proverbs), yet today's elderly are often considered a burden by younger generations. It is by embracing this negative mentality that discrimination arises. Ageism, as defined by the Oxford dictionary, is “prejudice or discrimination based on age” and is generally considered discrimination against the elderly rather than children in society. This differs from other forms of discrimination such as racism or sexism, because aging is an inevitable part of life and therefore everyone will be discriminated against over time. In today's society, old age is commonly feared and often avoided altogether. . Dying gray hair and procedures such as Botox injections or face lifts are becoming increasingly common methods in which people attempt to disguise their growing age from their peers. (Sachs) The media is one of the main reasons why people do not accept their old age, because it has a great influence on how people see each other by creating public opinion. The media portrays older people negatively, implying that they are childish, senile and, essentially, useless. (Asiedu) Consequently, this negative portrayal of the elderly has led to a larger issue: mandatory retirement. Recently, the law requiring mandatory retirement at age 65 has been largely discarded; previously it was a rather controversial issue. The law generalized all citizens over 65 as unfit for work, proving to be discriminatory because this was not necessarily true. While some bodies and minds may deteriorate, at age 65, not all older adults are incapable of contributing to the workforce. Forcing retirement is an example of ageism, being... the center of the paper... Has the media painted a dark picture of life after sixty? - Radio Prague." Main page - Radio Prague. 26 September 2005. Web. 30 October 2011. .BBC News. "BBC NEWS | Business | Q&A: Retirement ruling." BBC News - Home. Web. 30 October 2011. .Silver Century Foundation. "Think About Aging." Silver Century Foundation. 30 April 2008. Web. 30 October 2011. .Trio, E. "Racism and discrimination: human nature or learned behavior | TheFreeResource.com." The Free Resource: Educational resources, verifiable facts, and research. Web. Oct. 30. 2011. .